Black Fern steps up for another World Cup
Black Fern star Ayesha Leti-I’Iga, women’s rugby advocate Alice Soper and comedian Karen O’Leary will be among the 2000 volunteers at the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup.
And they are asking New Zealanders to put their hands up to help out at the biggest women’s sporting event on the planet in 2023.
Auckland, Hamilton, Dunedin and Wellington are all hosting games in a tournament that is expected to attract record numbers of overseas visitors.
New Zealand is co-hosting the cup with Australia and yesterday organisers and the Phoenix women’s team launched a programme to find volunteers nationwide to help run the event.
For 600 Wellingtonians that could mean meeting the players from the USA and Netherlands, the two finalists in the 2019 World Cup final.
One person who is looking forward to watching the action is Black Ferns winger Leti-I’Iga, who was part of the launch at the NZ Campus of Innovation and Sport in
Upper Hutt yesterday.
‘‘I will be a volunteer and it will be a good opportunity to watch their games.’’
Jane Patterson, the chief operating officer of New Zealand’s side of the Fifa Women’s World Cup, said New Zealanders did not understand how big the tournament was.
‘‘It is going to be an amazing opportunity to watch the biggest women’s tournament in world sport.’’
Wellingtonians are in for a football treat, with two of the biggest teams in women’s football, the USA and Netherlands, playing at the Regional Stadium.
Organisers are in the process of selecting training bases and there is a real possibility that the USA will be in Upper Hutt, staying and training at the newly opened $108 million sports campus.
NZCIS general manager Jamie Tout said eight teams, including the USA, Sweden, Italy, Japan and New Zealand, had inspected the venue.
Wellington will get two teams allocated with one team staying in Upper Hutt and the other in Wellington City.
For Phoenix captain Lily Alfeld the chance to play in a World Cup, on home soil, is a dream come true.
As a youngster growing up in Auckland, she watched the 2008 Fifa U-17 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand. It made her aware of the opportunities football could offer and set her on the path to becoming a Football Fern.
‘‘It made me realise that I wanted to play for New Zealand.’’
The World Cup will begin on July 20 with the Football Ferns kicking off the tournament against Norway at Eden Park in Auckland.
New Zealand is in Group A with Norway, Philippines and Switzerland, and play the Philippines in Wellington on July 25.
‘‘It is going to be an amazing opportunity to watch the biggest women’s tournament in world sport.’’ Jane Patterson chief operating officer NZ, World Cup